Self peopellikg peojectile



(No Model.)

J. E. BOTT. SELF PROPELLING PBOJECTILEY Patented 1360129, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH ELTON BOTT, OF EYAM, ENGLAND.

SELF-PROPELLING P ROJECTILE,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.466,056, dated December 29, 1891.

Application filed March 6, 1890. .Renewed November 10,1891r Serial No. 411.443- (No model.) Patented in England December 5,1889, No.19,556; in France May 28. 1890, No.'205,951; in Belgium May 28, 1890,1Io. 90,711; in Germany May 29,1890, No. 55,190; in Italy June 4, 1890, XXIV, 27,621; in Spain August 20, 1890, No. 10,891, and in Austria-Hungary November To all 1071,0111, it. may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH ELTON BOTT, metallurgical engineer, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Eyam, in the county of Derby, England, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Self- Propelling Shells and Projectiles, (which said invention has been patentedin Great Britain,

dated December 5, 1889, No. 19,556; in France, dated May 28, 1890, No. 205,951; in Belgium, dated May 28, 1890, No. 90,711; in Germany, dated May 29, 1890, No. 55,190; in Austria- Hungary, dated November 1, 1890, No. 24,255; in Italy, dated June 4, 1890, No. 27,621, Vol. 24, and in Spain, dated August 20, 1890, No. 10,891,) of which the following is-a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention consists in providing a rear chamber to shells and other projectiles, which said rear or auxiliary chamberI fill with compressed air or gas at a high pressure, preferably in manner hereinafter described, namely: The said rear or auxiliary chamber in each shell or projectile is constructed so that a proper charge of compressed'air or gas is introduced through an orifice in its base, preferably in the manner in which carbonic-acid gas is introduced to bottles of soda-water, so that when such rear or auxiliary chamber is filled with air or gases at a pressure equal to that of the compressing machine a lead, leather, rubber, or other suitable form of valve or plug falls and closes the said orifice, thus enabling the shell or projectile so charged with compressed air or gas to be removed from the machine, when it is ready for use in cannons, mortars, guns, rocket apparatus, (be. It is intended to load the shell or projectile in the ordinary. manner with its explosive charge, which can be exploded either by contact or by the usual forms of fuses.

The method of using my improved self-propelling shell or projectile is as follows: After placing the shell or projectile in the muzzle or breech-loading weapon from which it is to be expelled a pin in the breech of the weapon is operated, so as to force back, remove, or cut away the retaining valve or plug of the shell or projectile, when the compressed air or gas upon the breech of the weapon causesthe r shell or projectile to be rapidly ejected from the muzzle thereof, thus dispensing with the usual gunpowder-cartridge.

In order that my said invention maybe more 5 5 clearlyunderstood and readily carried into effect, I will proceed, aided by the accompanying drawings, more fully to describe the same.

In the drawings, Figure l is alongitudinal section showing my invention applied to a Shrapnell or ordinary shell, and Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively a plan and edge view separately of the filling and retaining plug shown in connection with Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is a longitudinal section showing my invention applied to an armor-piercing shell or projectile, and Figs. 5'and 6 are respectivelya plan and edge view separately of the filling and retaining plug shown in connection with Fig. 4. It will be evident that either form of filling and retaining plug can be employed with either or any form of shell or projectile constructed according to my invention.

In all the figures like parts are marked with similar letters of reference.

a is the body of the shell or projectile, which is formed with a tapped base I) to receive a screw filling and retaining plug 0. The shell or projectile is also formed with a chamber 61 to contain the explosive charge. This cham- 8o ber is separated by a partition e from the chamber f, which is to contain the charge of compressed air or gas for propelling the shell. 1 The explosive charge is placed in the chamber 01 of Fig. 1 through the nose of the shell, which is afterward capped with the usual exploding apparatus, while the chamber (1 of Fig. 4 receives its explosive charge from the base through the orifice in the division e, which is closed by a plug a before charging the 0 chamber f with the propelling-charge.

g is an internal valve or stopper to close the aperture in the filling and retaining plug 0, through which the compressed air or gas is forced, and such plugc is formed with ascrewthread 0 to enable the shell or projectile to be screwed to the charging apparatus for receiving its charge of compressed air or gas.

When the pressure in the chamber f is equal to that of the charging apparatus, the valve or stopper 9 falls and closes the orifice in the plug 0, thus retaining the compressed air or gas in the chamber f until it is liberated to effect the discharge of the shell or projectile from the gun or other weapon.

For discharging a shell or other projectile provided with a filling and retaining plug 0, constructed as shown at Figs. 1', 2, and 3, the shell or projectile is placed in proper position in the breech of the gun or other weapon, when a rotating cutter workingin the breechblock of the gun or other weapon cuts away the valve 9 (which I preferably make of lead) until it is nearly perforated, when on the cutter being withdrawn into the breech-block the compressed air or gas in the chamber f will blow out the remainder of the valve 9 and expel the shell or projectile at a velocity in proportion to the air or gas pressure employed.

When employing a filling and retaining plug 0, constructed as shown at Figs. 4, 5,

and 6, the following method of liberating the charge of compressed air or gas is employed: The filling and retaining plug a is formed on its exterior with an interrupted thread 0', as shown at Figs. 5 and 6, and the tapped thread formed in the base I) of the shell or projectile is similarly interrupted to enable the plug to be readily introduced Without screwing it therein, and then by a partial turn to be securely fixed therein, to be quickly liberated therefrom by a partial turn. To enable said filling and retaining plug to be readily turned, it is formed with a square or other suitablyshaped recess a to receive acorrespoudinglyshaped key working in the breech block. Thus by giving a partial turn (say a sixth) the whole of the filling and retaining plug 0 is released from the base b of the shell or projectile, and the latter is expelledfrom the gun or other weapon by thecompressed air or gas and leaves the filling and retaining plug a and valve g in the gun or other weapon,from

which it can be removed when desired. By this construction when the expelled shell or projectile reaches it objective point it cannot be utilized by the enemy, as the filling and retaining plug is left behind it in the gun or other weapon.

I would here remark that, although I have shown my invention applied only to explosive shells or projectiles, it is equally applicable to a non-explosive projectile.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is 1. A shell or projectile constructed with a rear or auxiliary chamber having a closingplug arranged in the rear of such chamber and filled with highly-compressed air or gas to serve as the propelling medium, substantially as herein described.

2. A shell or projectile constructed with a rear or auxiliary chamber filled with highly- .compressed air or gas supplied thereto, se-

JOSEPH ELTON BOTT.

\Vitn esses:

GEO. F. WILSON, THOMAS ASHBURY. 

